Wednesday, November 30, 2016

Transport Minister Simon Bridges says State Highway 1 will take months, not years to fix

A timeframe for reopening the South Island's main highway remains
unclear, however the transport minister says he doesn't think it will
take years, only "many months".
Roading crews are working around
the clock to restore restricted-access on State Highway 1 from Cheviot
to Kaikoura by Christmas, but an opening date for the northern stretch
of the boulder-strewn road is less clear.
While work takes place
on the southern part of the highway, the Marlborough roading authority,
Marlborough Roads, has been told to prepare for three years of
maintenance on State Highway 63 - the alternative route between
Christchurch and Picton.

GEORGE HEARD/FAIRFAX NZ

The 7.8 earthquake has left parts of State Highway 1
unrecognisable, though the transport minister says he doesn't think it
will take years to repair the spine of South Island roading.

The highway is part of the bypass route, comprising state highways 7,
65, 6 and 63, that has become the defacto main transport line, through
the Lewis Pass.
Transport
Minister Simon Bridges shot down any suggestion this meant SH1 would be
out of action for three years, although he declined to provide a
precise estimate.

With parts of State Highway 1 not expected to open for
at least six months, businesses reliant on traffic are wondering how
they will survive.From Kaikoura to Ward, in southern Marlborough, the New Zealand
Transport Agency listed 11 moderate and six major slips, creating a far
more complex repair job than the southern stretch."It's a much
longer-term, more major job given the size of the slips and the
complexity of what we're dealing with geographically," Bridges said."That being said, I don't think it's anywhere like three years.

DEREK FLYNN/FAIRFAX NZ

A section of State Highway 1, near Kekerengu, lies deserted following the 7.8 magnitude earthquake.

"I think it's a period of many months but I'm loathe to put a more
precise timeframe on it because I want to be realistic and I don't want
to provide a false picture."

An NZTA spokeswoman said until geotechnical engineers were able to
safely assess all the slips on the northern stretch of the highway, it
was too early to say how long the work would take, or how much it would
cost.
"Restoring full access on State Highway 1 north of Kaikoura will be a huge job that will take some time to complete," she said.

"The scale and the complexity of the slips on State Highway 1 are
unprecedented in New Zealand, and the task ahead of us is huge."

MARLBOROUGH CIVIL DEFENCE

A slip over State Highway 1, near Kaikoura.

Bridges said the Government had explored alternative locations for
SH1, including the current bypass route, but it would be expensive to
upgrade and faced comparable geographic risks.
"We're absolutely
committed to repairing and rebuilding SH1, it's a critical piece of
national infrastructure, it's the spine of our transport network," he
said.
"It's much more likely, almost certain to be on that coastal
route, because the inland option looks to be much more expensive and
less positive environmentally and in terms of resilience."

GEORGE HEARD/FAIRFAX NZ

One of the slips blocking State Highway 1 north of Kaikoura.

He said it was inevitable parts of the highway would be re-routed
because of the danger posed by slips, which meant the road could be
moved closer to the sea.
There had been limited work clearing
rockfalls on SH1 north of Kaikoura, but the priority was opening the
Inland Rd and clearing the southern part of the highway to Cheviot.
After
access was restored, the Government also wanted to improve the safety
and resistance of SH1 to help it withstand future events, however
Bridges said this was a longer term project.

GEORGE HEARD/FAIRFAX NZ

Rocks on the highway.

The cost of repairing all damaged transport infrastructure would make
up a significant proportion of the overall cost of the earthquake,
which Treasury put between $2 billion to $3b, he said.
The
Government had already committed between $50 million to $100m
maintaining and upgrading the inland route from Christchurch to Picton,
through the Lewis Pass.
KiwiRail did not respond to questions
about the future of the main trunk line between Christchurch and Picton,
which was severely damaged by the earthquake.